FAA Proposes $12 Million Fine to Southwest for Poor Maintenance

The FAA has proposed a $12 million dollar fine to Southwest Airlines for continuing to operate more 44 aircraft on more than 20 flights after being alerted to poor maintenance practices on their fuselages by their contractor ATS. The aircraft in question underwent “extreme makeovers” beginning in 2006 which were intended to eliminate potential cracking of the aluminum skin on their Boeing 737s. According to the report from the FAA, Aviation Technical Services (ATS), which does maintenance work for Southwest, failed to adhere to proper procedures for replacing the fuselage skins and procedures for securing the airplanes and stabilizing them as the fuselage skins were replaced. According to the FAA, “All the work was done under the supervision of SWA, which was responsible for ensuring t